Michael Jamison, staff writer for the Missoulian, reports that the three reported cases of wolf poaching in Montana will not count towards the state’s designated 75-animal quota.

Idaho officials included the poached wolf in their state towards the quota there. However, the states determined their hunting limits differently. Montana officials stated that they included a buffer to account for the typical annual poaching of wolves in their calculations. This effectively increases the 75 wolf quota significantly – and is still considered acceptable in the eyes of the state.

The number of wolves poached in a year historically ends up around 5-8% of the state’s wolf population. That’s between 25 and 40 wolves more which could die in addition to those killed during the hunting season.

You can also write to Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, or sign the Defenders of Wildlife petition – which you can find under the Take Action! link also.

You can also tell all your friends and family what Montana and Idaho is doing and make sure to educate them about the truth regarding wolves! You can direct them here, or you can send them to other informational sites such as the international wolf center (www.wolf.org). Or take them to visit a wolf sanctuary such as the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center and let them see wolves for themselves – http://www.wolfeducation.org.

In short, there is a lot you can do. And if you do those things, you are one more person making a difference!

Thank you for leaving your comments. Discussion I hope is just another small part of what we can do to change the world for American wolves.